If your doctor has told you that you have symptoms of type 1 diabetes, you’re probably wondering: Now what? But with the right information and treatment, you can thrive. Here are questions to ask your doctor...

Halle Berry. Bret Michaels. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. They all have type 1 diabetes, but it hasn’t kept them from leading remarkable lives. If you’ve just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, it shouldn’t hold you back either.

A person develops symptoms of type 1 diabetes when the pancreas doesn’t produce enough of the hormone insulin to transport glucose (sugar) into the body’s cells. Glucose produces energy for normal body functions, especially the healthy development of muscles and body tissue.

Without insulin to move glucose, the body consumes its own muscle, fat and liver cells for fuel, which can seriously harm other organs, like the heart and nerves, and bodily functions. If unrecognized and untreated, the symptoms of type 1 diabetes can lead to blindness, heart disease and stroke, kidney disease and even death.

“The onset of type 1 diabetes can be very quick,” explains Geralyn Spollett, MSN, president-elect of Health Care and Education for the American Diabetes Association and associate director of the Yale Diabetes Center. “Symptoms of type 1 diabetes develop in such a short time, you might assume that you have the flu or are just plain thirsty.”

But during this time, insulin production is tapering off and symptoms of type 1 diabetes become more critical. You may have unquenchable thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss and extreme hunger. Other symptoms may include blurry vision, numbness of hands or feet, slow-healing wounds, recurrent yeast infections and dry skin.

There’s no cure for type 1 diabetes, but most type 1 diabetics can manage their condition. Type 1 diabetics must compensate for the loss in insulin production and control blood sugar levels with insulin injections or pump infusions. They must balance insulin doses with food intake and daily exercise, as well as prevent other life-threatening reactions, such as hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and hyperglycemia (high blood sugar.)

Early diagnosis and treatment are critical to effective management of type 1 diabetes, not to mention saving your life. Here are some questions you might want to ask your doctor, if you have any of the early symptoms of type 1 diabetes:

What causes type 1 diabetes? How did I get it? Is it hereditary?

What’s the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes?

What caused my pancreas to stop insulin production? Is the condition reversible/curable?

How do I best manage my type 1 diabetes?

Does my weight affect treatment or management of the disease?

Do I need to take insulin for the rest of my life? Do I have to give myself insulin shots?

How do I know when to take insulin? What happens when I don’t take a shot?